“Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven't fallen asleep yet.”
The holidays are upon us. It is time to enjoy the sweet smells of holiday cheer; to enjoy gathering with friends and spending time with our loved ones. While the holidays are joyful for most people, they represent an added level of stress for families of children with special needs. Will you be able to manage your special needs child or will they manage you? This workshop will help parents and teachers deal with the holidays by providing them with essential skills to help them develop strategies to have a stress free holiday season for both the family and their children. Some specific areas of focus for this workshop will include:
- Assessing the cause and hidden symptoms of holiday stress for your child.
- Learn how to set up a sensory room or space to provide critical quiet time and space for your child.
- Avoid letting your child regress by developing and implementing visual-based techniques and strategies to help improve/maintain his/her skills and behavior during the holiday school breaks.
- Learn how to develop effective holiday schedules to reduce your child's anxiety by helping him/her predict the events of his/day.
- Learn how to minimize and address sensory issues as contributors to behavior.
- Developing and implementing specific transition techniques to help reduce anxiety and increase understanding of expectation in a given environment.
- Learn techniques to minimize holiday stress for the caregiver and make your holidays more fun.
